100 Grand (game show)
| 100 Grand | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Bob Stivers Productions |
| Presented by | Jack Clark |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 3 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 22–24 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Picture format | Black-and-white |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | September 15, 1963 – September 29, 1963 |
100 Grand is an American game show hosted by Jack Clark. The series ran for three episodes, weekly on Sunday nights from September 15 to 29, 1963 on the highly touted "New ABC" as the network's attempt to bring back high-stakes game shows after the quiz show scandals of 1958.
When 100 Grand made its debut, it had been two years since any quiz show with a five-figure cash prize or higher had aired on any broadcast network (large jackpots were still seen at the time on bowling shows, such as NBC's Jackpot Bowling and ABC's own Make That Spare, both of which regularly offered jackpots over $10,000); it would be over a decade more before six-figure jackpots returned to television game shows.
Game play
One contestant, having possessed a knowledge or lead in a specific subject or field, asked questions of a professional on that same subject for cash. The player who stumped the professional for five weeks, had the show survived that long, would have had the privilege to answer five questions submitted by home viewers, and ended up with a grand total of $100,000 if successful.
Only two contestants appeared on the series – one questioning a Civil War expert, the other questioning an opera expert. On the third show, both professionals stumped the amateurs, both of whom were awarded $1,000 savings bonds while the professionals each won $10,000.
Episode status
The series is believed to be destroyed through wiping, a procedure very common with many game shows and other programs from the 1940s through the early 1980s, although less so with CBS. A promotional video featuring the set and a contestant exists, traded among private collectors.